IRA Global Operations Brochure - International Reading Association

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Established in 1956, the INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION (IRA) is a 60,000 member global network of literacy professionals and institutions whose mission is to promote reading by continuously advancing the quality of reading instruction and research worldwide. Global Operations works to enhance the professional development and institutional capacity of literacy educators while developing and implementing sustainable partnership programs worldwide. As a membership organization, IRA offers a unique model that brings together key elements of successful programs: ■ A strong network of grassroots educators. IRA affiliates, established in 76 countries, including 42 developing countries, are independent, organized homegrown structures dedicated to excellence in literacy. We build on their work to help literacy leaders design and conduct professional development programs that respond to their communities’ specific needs. IRA maintains on-the-ground presence after the intervention as affiliates carry on their work in their communities, fostering continuity and sustainability of results. For details of IRA affiliates around the world, please go to: www.reading.org/General/ LocalAssociations.aspx ■ An exceptional corps of first-rate expert literacy volunteers. Combining talent and state-of-the-art knowledge of literacy pedagogy and practices, these outstanding IRA members volunteer as an expression of service to their professions and their commitment to improving the quality of literacy worldwide. They help local educators design and implement student-centered programs, services, and context-appropriate materials that improve basic literacy instruction and promote critical thinking. Expert volunteers engage in developing innovative technologies, curriculum design, assessments, and local partnerships that facilitate sound policies in support of literacy proficiency. ■ An unmatched reservoir of research-based instructional resources Built into every project, IRA’s Diagnostic Teaching Model is an ongoing researchaction program in which strategies, tools, and processes are continuously adapted for new projects to fit the needs of specific contexts and target audiences. We stimulate the exchange of research findings across regions and strive to expand outlets for such research. Newly acquired pedagogy and teaching practices are sustained through face-to-face and online mentoring to ensure implementation of best classroom practices by IRA literacy experts and IRA trained Master Teachers. EVIDENCE OF OUR WORK IRA SUPPORTS GRASSROOTS EDUCATORS’ LOCAL INITIATIVES, building their capacity financially, technically, and through unique professional development opportunities. IRA has sponsored African classroom teachers, literacy leaders, and researchers to share their work at Literacy Conferences in Africa and around the world. We awarded competitive grants to help create early-grade reading materials in Uganda’s mother-tongue languages. IRA enlisted parents and community support for early-grade literacy in Zanzibar, organized early graders’ writing and reading contests in Burkina Faso and assessments of reading instruction in Senegal (the Hewlett Foundation and the Canadian International Development Agency). IRA’S PROGRAMS AND TOOLS OFFER A HIGH DEGREE OF APPLICABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY because reading and writing cut across content areas and are essential to all learning from preschool to university and throughout life. Our Diagnostic Teaching Model for literacy instruction has been tailored to train hundreds of teachers and trainers in Tanzania, Zambia, Mauritius, Pakistan, Oman, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, but also supports curriculum design, standards development for literacy assessment and national education policy development (UNESCO, USAID). IRA INITIATIVES ARE SCALABLE. In Zambia, IRA tailored its Diagnostic Teaching Model to equip teachers to use active, participatory, childfriendly classroom practices and improve curriculum relevance. Initially piloted in the Mumbwa district, the Active Teaching and Learning Program has expanded to cover active teaching and learning in the Luangwa District. (ChildFund International, ChildFund New- Zealand, ChildFund Zambia and the Zambian Ministry of Education).
MEMBERSHIP IRA cultivates a global membership of 60,000 literacy professionals and institutions, including a network of teachers in developing countries and the best literacy experts in the world. Our members also conduct advocacy and build literacy awareness in their communities. We are dedicated to strengthening their capacity through professional and organizational development programs, leadership opportunities, conferences, and grants. We also offer publications to guide literacy educators’ practice, further their professional development, and inform their research. IRA resources include books, award-winning journals (Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Adult & Adolescent Literacy, The Reading Teacher), DVDs, videos, a magazine (Reading Today), and various online materials. A UNIQUE WORK MODEL + = RESEARCH IRA supports, encourages, and disseminates member-generated literacy research that promotes informed decision making by reading professionals, policymakers, and the public. Nearly 40 awards and grants are available to honor educators, authors, and others involved in reading and literacy research and practice. We also offer researchers opportunities to share their findings through our publications as well as through an extensive program of conferences and technical meetings, including: ■ IRA Annual Conventions ■ International Literacy Day celebrations ■ Regional Conferences to promote Literacy for All (Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Eurasia, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania). PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH PARTNERSHIP IRA’s Global Development Unit works in partnership with governments, NGOs, foundations, multilateral agencies, civil society organizations, and the private sector to develop and conduct locally designed professional development programs geared toward educators worldwide. TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND STUDENTS TRAINED AND MENTORED THROUGH IRA PROGRAMS DEMONSTRATE GREATER PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, MOTIVATION, ENGAGEMENT, AND LEADERSHIP. They communicate more effectively and think more critically. In Macedonia teachers and school administrators developed national standards as a part of their professional development, contributing to more active classroom instruction and improving the relevance of 50 vocational secondary schools to prepare students as productive workers and democratic citizens (Secondary Education Activity USAID). INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES between Nigerian, Ghanian, and American high school students and between New Zealand and Zambia teachers have stimulated motivation for inventive literacy projects and promoted cross-cultural understanding. This Reading Across Continents program launched an online social networking site for students to share their literature and culture. The exchanges were recorded in a documentary film and inspired ongoing interaction, cross-continental reading, writing, and intercultural learning. IRA USES INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY (Global Literacy Professional Development Network) to connect hard-to-reach teachers with professional development opportunities. Teachers, trainers, and literacy leaders in Indonesia and Bangladesh use handheld mobile devices to receive and conduct customized interactive training and coaching through video streaming and self-training support, connecting to the Nokia Education Delivery System and online network (NOKIA Corporation, the Pearson Foundation, the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning and ChildFund).
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IRA Global Operations Brochure - International Reading Association

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